Words With Q Without U: Complete Tournament List
Words with Q without U are specialized, tournament-legal words derived primarily from Arabic, Chinese, and Hebrew transliterations that permit playing the 10-point Q tile without a U. Essential valid plays include QI (11 pts), QAT (12 pts), FAQIR (17 pts), TRANQ (14 pts), and QIN (12 pts).
| Valid Word | Scrabble Pts | WWF Pts | Part of Speech | Official Definition & Tactical Usage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QI | 11 pts | 11 pts | noun | Vital life force in traditional Chinese medicine; primary 2-letter hook. |
| QAT | 12 pts | 12 pts | noun | An evergreen shrub native to East Africa and Arabia; chewed as a stimulant. |
| QIS | 12 pts | 12 pts | noun pl. | Plural of QI; valid tournament pluralization. |
| QIN | 12 pts | 13 pts | noun | A Chinese seven-stringed zither of the ancient period. |
| QADI | 14 pts | 15 pts | noun | A Muslim judge who interprets and administers Islamic law. |
| QAID | 14 pts | 15 pts | noun | A Muslim chieftain or magistrate; governor of a district. |
| QATS | 13 pts | 13 pts | noun pl. | Plural of QAT; premier 4-letter defense word. |
| QINS | 13 pts | 14 pts | noun pl. | Plural of QIN; valid tournament plural. |
| QOPH | 18 pts | 17 pts | noun | The 19th letter of the Hebrew alphabet (variant of KOPH). |
| WAQF | 19 pts | 19 pts | noun | An Islamic endowment of property for charitable purposes. |
| CINQ | 15 pts | 16 pts | noun | The number five in dice, cards, or dominoes (Collins CSW). |
| CINQS | 16 pts | 17 pts | noun pl. | Plural of CINQ; high-value defensive placement. |
| FAQIR | 17 pts | 17 pts | noun | A Muslim religious ascetic or dervish who lives by alms. |
| NIQAB | 16 pts | 17 pts | noun | A veil covering the face, worn by some Muslim women. |
| QADIS | 15 pts | 16 pts | noun pl. | Plural of QADI; key high-probability play. |
| QAIDS | 15 pts | 16 pts | noun pl. | Plural of QAID; vital 5-letter hook. |
| QANAT | 14 pts | 15 pts | noun | An gently sloping underground irrigation channel. |
| QIBLA | 16 pts | 17 pts | noun | The direction toward Mecca, faced by Muslims during prayer. |
| QOPHS | 19 pts | 18 pts | noun pl. | Plural of QOPH; high-scoring 5-letter placement. |
| QORMA | 16 pts | 17 pts | noun | A mildly spiced curry dish made with yogurt or cream (variant of KORMA). |
| TALAQ | 14 pts | 15 pts | noun | Divorce in Islamic law, effected by the husband pronouncing talaq. |
| TRANQ | 14 pts | 16 pts | noun | Slang abbreviation for a tranquilizer medication. |
| WAQFS | 20 pts | 20 pts | noun pl. | Plural of WAQF; exceptional 20-point natural score. |
| BURQA | 16 pts | 17 pts | noun | Loose protective garment with veiled eyeholes (CSW standard). |
| FAQIRS | 18 pts | 18 pts | noun pl. | Plural of FAQIR; standard tournament play. |
| NIQABS | 17 pts | 18 pts | noun pl. | Plural of NIQAB; legal tournament play. |
| QABALA | 17 pts | 18 pts | noun | Ancient Jewish mystical tradition (variant of KABBALAH). |
| QANATS | 15 pts | 16 pts | noun pl. | Plural of QANAT; high-frequency vowel balance. |
| QASIDA | 16 pts | 17 pts | noun | An ancient Arabic poetic form with a single rhyme. |
| QAWWAL | 21 pts | 21 pts | noun | A singer of Sufi devotional music (qawwali). |
| QIBLAS | 17 pts | 18 pts | noun pl. | Plural of QIBLA; tournament legal. |
| QIGONG | 17 pts | 19 pts | noun | A Chinese system of physical exercises and breathing control. |
| QINDAR | 16 pts | 18 pts | noun | Monetary unit of Albania, equal to one-hundredth of a lek. |
| QINTAR | 16 pts | 17 pts | noun | Variant spelling of QINDAR in official dictionaries. |
| QORMAS | 17 pts | 18 pts | noun pl. | Plural of QORMA; culinary loanword. |
| QWERTY | 21 pts | 22 pts | noun/adj | Denoting the standard English typewriter and computer keyboard. |
| SHEQEL | 18 pts | 18 pts | noun | Basic monetary unit of Israel (variant of SHEKEL). |
| TALAQS | 15 pts | 16 pts | noun pl. | Plural of TALAQ; essential 6-letter play. |
| TRANQS | 15 pts | 17 pts | noun pl. | Plural of TRANQ; valuable defensive play. |
| INQILAB | 18 pts | 20 pts | noun | Revolution or political uprising in Urdu and Hindi. |
| QABALAH | 21 pts | 22 pts | noun | Variant spelling of QABALA; high-scoring play. |
| QAWWALI | 22 pts | 22 pts | noun | A style of Muslim devotional music associated with Sufism. |
| QINDARS | 17 pts | 19 pts | noun pl. | Plural of QINDAR; valuable 7-letter bingo play. |
| QINTARS | 17 pts | 18 pts | noun pl. | Plural of QINTAR; official tournament bingo. |
| TSADDIQ | 19 pts | 21 pts | noun | A righteous person in Jewish tradition (variant of TZADDIQ). |
| MBAQANGA | 22 pts | 27 pts | noun | A rhythmic style of South African township jazz music. |
| SHEQALIM | 22 pts | 24 pts | noun pl. | Plural of SHEQEL; premier 8-letter bonus play. |
| TSADDIQIM | 23 pts | 25 pts | noun pl. | Plural of TSADDIQ; tournament legal 9-letter play. |
Length Breakdown: 2-Letter to 8-Letter Tournament Plays
The 10-point Q tile is historically the most dangerous letter to hold on a Scrabble or Words With Friends rack. Without a U tile, uneducated players often surrender a turn to swap letters. Memorizing these essential tournament loanwords transforms the Q from a liability into a game-winning asset:
2-Letter & 3-Letter Critical Plays
QI (11 pts): The single most vital play in competitive Scrabble. Originating from Chinese philosophy, QI hooks with S into QIS (12 pts).
QAT (12 pts): An Arabian shrub chewed as a stimulant. Hooks cleanly with S into QATS (13 pts).
4-Letter Tactical Hooks
QAID (14 pts): A Middle Eastern chieftain or judge. Pluralizes as QAIDS (15 pts).
TRANQ (14 pts): Colloquial abbreviation for tranquilizer. Pluralizes as TRANQS (15 pts).
Strategic Defense: Playing Q Without U on Bonus Squares
The ultimate tactical execution with a Q tile is landing QI across a Triple Letter (TL) score while simultaneously forming an intersecting transverse word. Playing QI horizontally on a TL square awards 31 points (Q=30, I=1). If the Q concurrently completes a downward word, the move score doubles to over 60 points on a single turn. Conversely, defensive awareness requires never leaving an open 'I' adjacent to an unoccupied Triple Letter or Triple Word score.
Frequently Asked Questions About Q Without U Words
Essential tournament clarifications for competitive Scrabble and Words With Friends.
01 Is QI legally acceptable in Scrabble and Words With Friends?
Yes. QI is officially accepted in both NASPA (NWL20) and Collins (CSW21) Scrabble tournament rules, as well as Words With Friends. It is worth 11 points (Q=10, I=1).
02 How many valid words with Q and no U exist in English word games?
There are approximately 44 tournament-legal words containing a Q without a U in the Collins (CSW21) lexicon and 33 in the North American (NWL20) lexicon, ranging from 2-letter QI to 8-letter MBAQANGA.
03 What is the highest-scoring Q-without-U word?
MBAQANGA scores 22 base points in Scrabble and 27 base points in Words With Friends. When played as a 7-tile or 8-tile bingo across bonus squares, move totals frequently exceed 120 points.
04 Why do so many Q-without-U words originate from Arabic or Hebrew?
In Arabic, Hebrew, and Persian transliterations into the Latin alphabet, the uvular stop consonant is transliterated as 'q' without requiring the subsequent labial glide 'u' that European languages mandate.